Little Hero
by LottaLovesWriting26
Summary: If you haven't read my story, Lion King 4 Zahara's Tale, this won't make any sense. This is the backstory of my OC Xandor. Enjoy!
1. Pregnant From Pain

Chapter 1- Pregnant From Pain

One morning, many, many moons and months ago, two female hyenas, one white and one dark, walked towards the sunrise and their homes.

The white hyena, about 10 months older than the dark hyena, was a mentor of sorts to the dark hyena. The dark hyena, barely 16 years old, was heavily pregnant. She was due any time now.

It was not of her choice. Asiyejali had been abused, and her innocence forcefully taken away from her by a male tigon, which she didn't even know the name of. This was what created her child.

She was pregnant all right. Pregnant from pain.

The white hyena, Lina, had kindly helped her through her pregnancy. The same tigon had abused her, and she had two children of different ages, Igor and Vladek, which came from this abuse.

Lina was a great mother and wise beyond her years.

Asiyejali on the other hand, did not know how she could be so dedicated to two children she didn't even want. Asiyejali had no idea how to mother, nor did she want to.

She had no maternal instinct, and often called the child 'the thing that's inside me', instead of her pup.

Lina pretended not to notice, but she was shocked that a mother could have such an attitude towards her own child.

They were carrying behind them, two big antelopes for them and the growing boys, Vladek and Igor.

Vladek was 13 months old, already a young adolescent, who often wondered off to hang with many legions of white hyena friends he had.

Vladek was charismatic, and manipulative, which he used for both good and bad. Igor, was 3 months and a half, and often accompanied his brother on their secretive travels.

Lina trusted that the strong adolescent could take of him. They dragged back the kill to their campsite for the boys, from their early morning hunt.

Lina, with Asiyejali following, walked quietly into the small family den where the boys were sleeping.

Lina shook their shoulders. "Wake up boys. It's time for breakfast." She cooed over them. "Ok Mom." groaned the teenage Vladek.

"Yay breakfast! Thanks Mommy!" Igor hugged his mother, and the young white hyena ran outside for breakfast, while the adolescent walked slowly in a half-awakened state.

Igor took a small drumstick like meat piece on the antelope and ate at it hungrily, while Vladek took a good head and whole leg of the antelope.

Lina and Asiyejali took whatever was left. The older adults, especially Asiyejali, needed more nutrition so they could protect the boys, and Asiyejali's pup.

Lina often wondered about Asiyejali's puphood herself, as Asiyejali's name meant uncaring. She must have had a bad mother, and that might have affected her apparent fear of motherhood. But Lina never asked her about it.

"So, Igor, are you excited about having a little brother or sister soon?" Lina asked her younger pup. "Yeah! I can't wait to finally have someone else to play with!" Igor said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, you'll like spending time with him or her, but not as much as with _**Cordelia**_." Vladek teased. Igor blushed. "Shut up I don't' like her! Girls are icky!" Igor said.

"Oh, your just three months old. Everyone knows you like Cordelia, she's three months too, she's pretty, relax it's normal!" Vladek comforted his little brother, showing his then-existent good side.

"Maybe." Igor blushed. "Vladek, are you excited about the baby?" Lina asked.

"I guess. If it's a girl that is. It has to be a girl. It can't be like that _**brute**_, who took advantage of you." Evil started showing in Vladek's eyes.

"Vladek, it could be a boy, though. We don't have a medicine hyena like we did back in my old pack. We can't tell the gender." Lina tried to tell him gently.

"I don't care. If it's a boy, I couldn't care less!" Vladek shouted. "Vladek!" Lina scolded.

"Lina, leave him be. This pregnancy is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. I can't wait to get this thing out of me! I couldn't care less either." Asiyejali stared into space blankly, with no emotion.

They had all been traumatised horribly except for Igor, who was too young to understand, so Lina left their attitudes toward the coming baby at that. Little did she know, that Lina was making a horrible misjudgement…**


	2. Vladek's 'Friends'

Chapter 2- Vladek's "friends".

After the kill that morning, Vladek had finally woken up and was ready to visit his minion camp he called around his mother "friends".

He often took Igor with him, to try and get the message into his brother's head that the tigons and other hybrids were inherently evil.

He hoped he had a beautiful sister that could flirt and charm strong boys into the group when she was older. He didn't need another brother, especially from a dark hyena.

The dark hyenas caused Scar's death, an evil overlord whom he looked up to in these dire times of Simba's and Kiara's reigns, where hyenas found wondering in the Pride Lands by the lions would often inform on hyenas to the king, who would chase them out or threaten to execute.

It had never actually happened though. Those oversized pussycats didn't have the guts. He also didn't need a bastard child who was just like his father.

Igor and Vladek took their short half an hour walk from the barren Out Lands in which they lived, to the lush, secret jungle where Vladek's teenage army of white hyenas lived. They were all friends and cousins.

"Vladek, can I go play with Cordelia now?" asked Igor. "Ok. Have fun, but not too much fun, little scamp." He ruffled his hair. Igor blushed at the 'have fun' comment. He rushed off to find his little friend Cordelia, a little sister of a friend of Vladek's.

"Minions, I have returned!" The whole jungle rattled with a cheer from the teenage minions.

"Now, if you want to be fed plentifully this week, my orphan friends, it will come at but a cost. Today, we are to target another pride of tigons, in a jungle not so far away from here. We will kill their King, Queen, and future princess! Then you will not go hungry!" The white hyenas cheered, but it seemed rather forced.

But no matter. Vladek led the group to the tigon pride an hour on, to the jungle where Simba and Nala fell in love. It was now the home to a tigon pride.

The white hyena adolescents and some pups stalked through the tall grass marking the pride's territory. They walked up to the back way of the grassy den, and made their way on top of a grassy formation, where the royal children were presented.

The princess and her parents where talking on the rock, when Vladek, his friend Oshaka, and his future mate Solanga, stalked up to the three tigons.

The light orange, black spotted princess with icy eyes, shrieked as she was pounced on and her neck was bitten into, by Solanga. Solanga drained the blood of the princess, and smirked at her dying gasps.

The cream colour, grey spotted, blue-eyed Queen gasped in shock, but was glued to the spot, which made it easy as pie for Oshaka to prize his teeth into the Queen's neck. He drained her blood and watched her die.

The orange furred, black spotted, grey-eyed King however, was not so easy to deal with.

Vladek pounced on the King, but he met the adolescent in the air, and pinned him down. "You killed my daughter and my wife! You murderous creatures!" He exclaimed with anger. The pride came to help Vladek weaken the King.

Then Vladek simply slashed his eyes until he couldn't see and then flipped him over. "Who's the king now?" Vladek snarled as he slashed the King's throat with his claw in one swish of his finger, making the King bleed out and die fast but painfully within a few minutes.

"Quick, we must run, before the pride comes to their aid!" Vladek, Solanga, and Oshaka led the running hyena pride home.

When they returned home, puffing, Vladek announced. "Good job, you will be fed, and handsomely! Tomorrow at noon, I will hunt and bring you back a feast of 15 antelopes! For now, just remember, if you don't obey me, you will go hungry. Does everyone understand?" Vladek asked.

The rag tag team of orphans nodded. "Good." Vladek smirked evilly.

When Vladek and Igor returned home, they came back to the same, adoring but foolish mother.

"How was your day? Did you meet some new people?" she said kindly.

"Yes mother, indeed. We _**met **_new people." Vladek sniggered, earning a worried look from his mother. **


	3. The Birth and The Death

Chapter 3- The Birth, and The Death.

The time had come for Asiyejali's birth.

Lina fetched Vladek and Igor so they could be on hand to help the 16 month old hyena, as well as witness their half sister or half brother's birth.

"I can't wait for my little sister, can you Igor?" Vladek knew this would be an amazing master plan he could put in motion for the minions.

"Vladek, it could be a boy. Don't get your hopes up. Now Asiyejali, take deep breaths, count to ten."

Asiyejali looked enraged. "I don't even want anything to do with this baby, now it's torturing me!" exclaimed Asiyejali, fighting with contractions.

"It's just the normal pain element of birth. Every woman goes through it. It will pass. Now just relax, and when you feel the baby is coming, push!" Lina encouraged her.

Asiyejali nodded through pain and pushed, and strained, and after an hour, a baby finally dropped from the young hyena, which was exhausted.

Lina offered to let Asiyejali lick the pup clean, but she refused and made Lina do it, so she did it anyway. Lina took a look at it to determine the gender.

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, my boy Vladek. This is a little half brother." Lina said apologetically.

Vladek was enraged.

He took the baby out of his mother's arms forcefully and projected his voice at it. "Listen, you twerp, you bastard child. We don't like you! You're not a girl! You'll be just like your Daddy, going around, raping pure white hyenas, and how do I know? I JUST DO! YOU DON'T DESERVE LIFE!" He yelled at the little dark hyena, making him wail with fear. The boy's eyes widened, as hyenas had eyes open from birth.

Lina snatched the boy back. "VLADEK! That is mean and cruel! Apologize to your brother at once!" Lina scolded him.

Vladek sighed with contempt. "I'm sorry, brother." He said to the dark newborn pup with a small black tuft on his head. Under his breath he added, "Or not, you bastard."

"What gender is it?" asked the tired Asiyejali.

"It's a boy." Lina told her.

"Oh, oh no. He is a boy. Like his father! Does he look like me?" Asiyejali questioned Lina, seemingly in despair at the gender.

"Yes, he's a dark hyena." Lina showed the boy to her. She squealed. "Oh, oh take him away! Horror of horrors, he looks exactly like his father! In the face!" Asiyejali hid herself away from him.

Lina had had enough. "Enough all of you, just because the child is a boy, does not mean he is evil!" Lina announced.

Asiyejali got up from where she gave birth to him. "I do not want him. He is yours now!" Asiyejali exclaimed.

"How can you not want your own son? He is just an innocent little boy. With the proper upbringing, he could be a great man!" Lina argued, trying to get Asiyejali to stay.

"No! This demon spawn has caused me enough trouble. He is my biggest mistake! I should of killed myself months ago, and not spared a _**boy**_!" Asiyejali shouted back, and she started running.

"No, Asiyejali, come back! You can't run just after birth, you'll hurt yourself!"

Lina ran after her, placing the newborn on his back, which instinctively clung on to who he thought, must be his mother. She had held him the most.

"Good, then! I am going to free myself from this Earth! And you can't stop me!" Asiyejali called to her.

"No, Asiyejali, don't'!" Lina followed after her, into jungle, but when Asiyejali faked left, she lost her.

When she turned the shortcut back, she met a horrifying scene.

Lina covered the newborn's eyes. His mother had tied vines around her neck, and hung herself, and lay lifeless in the vines with her eyes closed.

Tears streamed down Lina's face, and she sighed with sadness.

The hyena she had mentored was not strong enough to have the will to live after being abused.

She had failed the child. "I am sorry little one, I have failed you." She uncovered his eyes as they passed the scene, but the little boy hugged his mother's back, and looked at her quizzically, as if to say, "How did you fail me?".

Lina smiled at the little boy, as she knew what it said without words.

She rocked him in her arms and talked to him. "My special child. You will be named after my grandfather, whom I loved dearly, Xandor. My little Xandor." Xandor's tail waved at finally been given a name. How could this hyena be evil?**


	4. Xandor's First Words

Chapter 4- Xandor's First Words.

Lina was the only one it seemed who cared for the little boy.

Vladek often didn't want anything to do with him, and Igor just followed along with what his brother said, because he feared being not fed if he didn't. He had also been brainwashed successfully, along with Vladek's teenage minions, that dark hyenas were evil, so he didn't want to associate with one.

But Xandor of course didn't' understand this. He was merely just starting his time on Earth.

Xandor was only 2 weeks, but had begun to walk on his own, and even run occasionally. But he hadn't spoken yet. He almost got the hang of some words, though. Lina expected he would learn to speak soon.

That morning, when Lina was asleep, Vladek and Igor decided to torture the poor little hyena for fun.

They tied him up at the tree Vladek was traumatised months ago.

Vladek instructed his younger brother to slash Xandor for every insult he threw at him. "Brute!" Igor slashed his chest.

The little boy cried. "Bastard!" Igor slashed his cheek.

"Demon spawn!" Igor slashed his half brother's eye and he shrieked.

"Keep it down, you idiot!" Igor slashed his nose.

"Waaahh!" Xandor wailed and wailed at the pain, trying to wake up his mother, so she would help him.

"Crying won't help you, Negro!" Igor slashed his tummy.

"Waaahhh, waahh! M-ma- MAMA! MAMA! HELP, MAMA!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, with his first words.

"Igor, scram!" Vladek and Igor tried to run, but their mother could still see them as she ran outside to her little boy's aid.

"Oh my gosh, my special little child! Who did this to you?" She gasped, and asked, but Xandor answered. "Evil…evil…Ste-stepbrothers!" Xandor spat out.

"They're your half-brothers, son. VLADEK, IGOR! COME HERE AT ONCE, OR NO KILL FOR A WEEK!" Lina called out angrily. Vladek and Igor walked back.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS? WHY ARE YOU TORTURING YOUR HALF-BROTHER?" Lina snarled angrily at her elder sons.

"Because, mother, he's a Negro! A dark hyena, he is not our half-brother, but our STEP-BROTHER." Vladek spat on Xandor.

Lina slapped his face with her claws. "Igor, I know you didn't' know any better, because you're only four months old and just copying your brother. But as for you, Vladek, this is unforgivable! I'm grounding you in the den for a week as punishment. You will have minimal kill, and water, just enough to survive." Lina punished her son.

"But Mom, what about my friends?" Vladek groaned.

"They will just have to wait Vladek. You need to know there is a consequence to bad actions." Lina said more calm, but still visibly simmering.

Vladek snarled, and walked off to the den. Igor followed after his controlling older brother.

Lina held Xandor, licked his wounds, and dried his tears.

Xandor still had fear painted on his face, and Lina worried that this horrible experience might stay with him for life.

Xandor looked up at her. "Mama." He spoke softly.

"I'm sorry Xandor, I do not know what their problem is. Always remember, I want you around. You will always be needed, wherever I am. I promise." She promised to her child.

He tackled her and licked her, and she laughed. "You'll be a strong boy, I know." She said. "Mama!" He hugged his mother.**


	5. Little Hero

Chapter 5- Little Hero

Xandor soon grew into a one month old pup.

He could run around and play quite freely, as long as his mother was watching him. But he was often lonely, as he had no one to play with.

His 'stepbrothers' Vladek and Igor hated him and made it known often they didn't want anything to do with him.

They often went of to visit Vladek's friends anyway.

Xandor was small though, and could often spy on his 'stepbrother's' evil plans.

Now that he could travel far distances, he asked his mother if he could travel the lands.

"Alright, you can travel the lands, but remember what I've said about the Pride Lands, and if you see a strange animal, don't talk to them. Stranger danger, remember?" Xandor groaned.

"Ok, Mom. I'll be ok, ok? I love you." He hugged Lina. "I love you too."

He didn't want to worry his mother, but he was also curious as to where his evil 'stepbrothers' went to every day.

He bent low in the tall grass, and stalked behind his brothers as they made their way from the Out Lands, into the small private jungle.

He got up to a grassy podium, and Xandor watched as he got the white hyena minion's attentions. "Good morning, my minions! This week, you will get a feast, of 5 whole juicy giffafes, if you do this for me. A historic event. We are going to scout for dark hyenas around these lands, and kill some!"

The minions cheered, as they were brainwashed to hate the creatures. Xandor's eyes widened.

He had to tell his mother. His brother was going around killing innocent animals! But he stayed on and stalked intently behind them, following where they travelled.

The white hyena minions stopped off at a volcano in the back section of the outlands, where they saw a family of dark hyenas.

A roughly 5 month old dark hyena was visiting the volcano with his brother, sister, cousins and his father and mother. Xandor was scared for them. His 'stepbrother' would do anything to succeed in missions, and he wondered what he would do to this family.

"Stop, white hyenas. Hello young lad. How old are you, Negro?" he asked the 5 month old pup condescendingly. The 5 month old pup quaked in fear. "U-uh-uhhhhh…5 months?" He squeaked.

"Well, although you are only five months, you and your family, MUST DIE! GET THEM, IGOR, OSHAKA, SOLANGA, AND MY MINIONS!"

The white hyena pack held the poor pup down as Oshaka, Solanga, Igor, Vladek and Cordelia, got a stronghold on his father first and threw him into the volcano.

"Noooo!" The young hyena shrieked as he heard his father's last gasps.

Xandor was enraged, and he jumped out from his hiding spot.

"YOU BRUTE!" He yelled as he tackled his 'stepbrother' Vladek with newfound strength from adrenaline.

He chewed off his brother's ear, and managed to slash one of his eyes but his brother pushed him into the volcano, and he hung on from the edge.

"Help me!" He squeaked. The 5 month old pup broke free of the white hyenas and helped Xandor up out of the volcano.

"Thanks." He told the older pup. "No problem, I'm Motif, little hero. Now quick, we've got to beat up these guys!" Motif said.

Motif and Xandor double teamed together, to trip over white hyenas and drain the blood out of their necks.

Soon they lowered the population from 120 to 100, and the rest cowered from the pups, seeing the dead bodies.

"YOU COWARDS! What's this, you and my little 'stepbrother' have killed my minions! This, is what you get in return!" Vladek grabbed the cousins and Motif's brother and sister and threw them in the volcano.

"Noooo!" Tears streamed down Motif's cheeks as he lost more and more precious family.

Xandor, almost red with rage, tackled his brother again, and slapped and slapped his face, and punched until he was unconscious.

Then he did the same to the rest of the leading white hyenas, until Igor was left.

"You bastard child! I'm gonna throw this Negro's Mom in!" He threw the mother in the volcano, but she barely escaped death by hanging onto the edge unseen.

The dark hyenas teamed together and angrily took down Xandor's younger 'stepbrother' by knocking him unconscious.

"Thanks, I'm Xandor. You should get out of here. There's no telling what my 'stepbrother' will do next." Xandor told Motif.

"Ok. But what about my Mom?" asked Motif. He hadn't heard her dying gasps, so he hoped he would have at least one relative left. "Help! Help me please, I'm going to fall in!" A female voice called out. "Mommy!" Motif rushed to his mother who only had one paw on the volcano's edge.

Motif and Xandor grabbed two of the female hyena's paws and pulled her out. The female hyena sighed with relief as she was out of the volcano.

"Oh, Motif, your alive! I am too and I only have you, and this little hero here to thank." Xandor bowed politely.

"At your service, Ma'am. I am Xandor, the dark hyena liberator." Xandor announced politely.

Motif's Mom leapt forward and hugged Xandor, choking him. "Oh thankyou, thankyou thankyou! I owe you my life. If we ever meet again, we shall welcome you with open arms. But for now, we must flee back to our home, the hyena campsite." The mother and son were about to run off, when Xandor yelled, "Wait! Where is the hyena campsite?" he asked.

"Little hero, it's around the borders, past a tree of an old baboon, and up under Pride Rock, until you come to an elephant graveyard." She said.

Then they both ran off. "Hmm…the hyena campsite. Sounds good." Xandor said to himself. If things ever got out of hand, he could count on the hyena campsite to be his second home.

As Xandor ran home himself, he couldn't help thinking he should keep this experience to himself.

Now that he saw what his 'stepbrothers' were capable of, he really didn't want to mess with them until he was strong enough. And he would always be safe around Lina. **


	6. Xandor and Harratina

Chapter 6- Xandor and Harratina

When Xandor was two months old, he wasn't as afraid of his 'stepbrothers' but was still wary of the things they could do to him.

One morning, after Lina had come back from making a kill, she stumbled across two fleeing cheetah couples.

One had a young one-month-old cheetah girl, and in the other couple, the female was heavily pregnant, and probably about to give birth any minute.

Lina dropped the kills she was dragging and motioned the cheetahs to stop. "Where are you running to?" asked Lina.

"We are fleeing from a horrible tigon who beat me, and almost force mated with Utia, my sister. Do you know any place we could rest, we have been running for an afternoon and all night!" said the pregnant cheetah.

Lina frowned and she almost immediately knew who the tigon was. "Come with me, you can stay in my quarters. You must exhausted and hungry. I have just made a kill. You can share it with my family." Lina offered.

"Yes, we would like that very much, thankyou, kind white hyena." said the other female hyena, which must be called Utia.

Lina, Utia, her child, her sister, and their mates, chatted a bit on the way to Lina's den.

She found out the one month old girl was named Harratina, Utia's sister was named Edefith, and she was pregnant with a girl.

Utia's mate was named Tymo, and Edefith's mate was called Shakar. The two males were best friends.

Through talking, Lina found out they all played together as cubs. When she returned to her campsite, Lina woke the boys, and told them it was time for kill.

Xandor ran out first, followed by the tired duo of brothers, who had grown close and more evil together.

"Hey, Mom, you've brought visitors!" Xandor hugged his mother.

"Yes, I have darling. Xandor, Vladek, Igor, meet Utia and Tymo, their cub, Harratina, and Edefith and Shakar. Edefith is having a cub soon, so be gentle with her." introduced Lina.

Vladek rolled his eyes, grabbed some kill and got going.

"Mother, you've brought strangers I don't care about, Hooray. I'm going to see my friends." He said with biting sarcasm.

"I'm going with him, to see Cordelia. Hi, um whoever you are." Igor said and took some kill and followed after his brother.

"Sorry, Vladek's an adolescent, you know how teenage boys are, always wanting to see their friends. Igor is trying to be like him. Xandor, you haven't introduced yourself to everyone, have you?" asked Lina.

"No, I'm so sorry. My name's Xandor. I'm two." Xandor told them politely. "Hi, Xandor, I'm Harratina, I'm one." Harratina was eager to play with someone.

"Ok, Harratina, if you'd like you can go play Xandor, so long as you're nice. Is that ok, Lina?" wondered Utia.

"Sure it is. I've wanted a playmate for my son. Go on, go play, but stay in our sight." Lina encouraged them.

Harratina touched Xandor on the shoulder.

"Tag, your it!" Xandor looked at her weirdly.

"You don't know how to play? Well, I tag you, then you have to try and catch me, and tag me, then you say 'tag, your it!', ok. Ready? Tag, your it!" Harratina explained and then rushed off.

Xandor smiled and then ran after her, in the tall grass.

She stalked through the grass quietly, then over a log, but Xandor surprised her by meeting her in mid air, and then tackling her and pinning her.

Then he was on top of her, and they both blushed.

Xandor then broke the moment by tagging her and yelling, "Tag your it!" And he rushed off again.

They played for hours, until they were exhausted.

Harratina short nuzzled him, making him blush at the strange, touchy feely contact.

"What's that?" He asked. "It's a nuzzle. It's how tigers, lions and cheetahs show they care." He short nuzzled her back.

Then they went back to their mothers. "Did you have fun? asked Lina. "Yeah, but it was tiring, because we played tag for hours." Lina cuddled her dark pup close to her.

"You're a good boy." She said warmly to him.

He remembered the short nuzzle from Harratina, and how it made him feel funny, it made him blush and get butterflies in his stomach.

He didn't what that feeling was, but it persisted throughout the day, whenever he thought of Harratina.**


	7. Henriatta

Chapter 7- Henriatta

Three days later, Xandor was feeling Edefith's belly, in awe of the cheetah cub's kicks and movements in her belly.

The sun was high in the sky, about noon. Suddenly, Edefith made a face. "What's wrong?" asked the curious young hyena.

"Oh, oh oof! The cub is coming, quick lad, fetch my mate, my sister, her mate and your mother!" Edefith ordered and Xandor obeyed, knowing it was important for the cub's safety.

He got Utia out from the tall grass she was playing in with Harratina, and found his mother and the men a few metres away going off on a hunt.

Vladek and Igor were away with the minions like always, so they would miss the birth. Bad luck for them, Xandor thought. He wasn't about to willingly spend time with his 'stepbrothers'.

"Where are Vladek and Igor?" asked his mother.

"Oh, well Vladek said he wanted nothing to do with this cub, and Igor just followed him like a sheep." Xandor explained, knowing that that was what they would say anyway.

"Oh Vladek. His behaviour has just gotten worse since, well you don't want to know. Something terrible happened to him when he was 10. This is why he's being mean, Xandor. You need to understand, it's like that sometimes."

She tried to explain while running back. Xandor didn't understand. What could make Vladek kill other animals and feel no remorse?

Edefith's sister held onto her hand, and her mate Shakar took her other paw. Lina and Tymo told her to push, and Xandor simply watched on in awe alongside Harratina.

In an hour, Edefith pushed out a small cheetah cub.

Xandor and Harratina gasped at how small it was. Edefith licked it clean, and then placed it next to her body.

It curled up instinctively. She looked at her cub and smiled sweetly. "She's so beautiful Shakar. Do you want to name her? I can't think of anything." Edefith said to her mate.

"I'll name her, Henriatta." announced Shakar.

"That's a wonderful name. Do you like your name, Henriatta?" Henriatta's tail waved at the name.

"Why are her eyes closed?" asked Xandor. "Well, you see Xandor, hyena pups open their eyes on birth, but cheetahs, lions and tigers usually only open their eyes one week after birth." Utia explained.

"We have had enough time to see it. Would anyone else like to?" Edefith asked. She held out her arms with baby Henriatta in them.

"Hi. You're my cousin, Henriatta. This is my friend, Xandor." Harratina said to the little baby.

"Hello, Henriatta. You're so little, and cute, and I reckon we'll be great friends when you are older." Henriatta gave happy squeaks to her future friends, and waved her tail.

"She likes you two." Edefith smiled at their interactions with her newborn pup.

The adults then took turns to speak to the baby, and when Edefith said she wanted to rest with her mate and child, everyone else let them rest.**


	8. Xandor Versus Vladek

Chapter 8- Xandor Versus Vladek

Two weeks later, when Henriatta could walk, Harratina and Xandor decided to go out to play hide and seek with the small cheetah cub.

It also gave them a chance to be alone together.

They liked each other, but didn't know it.

So they used babysitting Henriatta as a good excuse for them to find out why they were feeling weird about each other.

It was also good fun; Henriatta was growing up to be a really nice, sweet little girl. Xandor and Harratina had already become good friends with her.

"Ok, 3…2…1 ready or not here I come!" bellowed Henriatta.

Xandor and Harratina were hiding behind a tree, giving each other quick deep nuzzles.

Harratina couldn't hide little giggles at the deep sensations the nuzzling caused.

When Henriatta picked up the little giggling sounds, she followed them and quickly found the pair.

She sighed loudly, and they stopped nuzzling. "Found you. For about the hundredth time, why can't you guys save that icky stuff for later? I know you like each other or whatever, but it's annoying!" Henriatta complained, her last comment making them blush.

"Oh, that just proves it! Ok, since you guys suck at hide and seek, why don't I hide, and you try to find me?" Henriatta challenged.

"Ok." Xandor accepted. He and Harratina closed their eyes and counted back from 10.

Henriatta stalked as fast as she could, away from her cousin and friend and into the area of the secluded jungle.

"We can let her wait for a little while. She's two weeks old. She'll be easy to find." Harratina shrugged.

They resumed their nuzzling, but in longer more passionate nuzzles. "I am going to be so hard to find! I'm hiding in this little jungle! They'll never find me!" Henriatta ran straight for the grassy formation Vladek was standing on for his meeting, running straight for Vladek.

"So, what I am saying is that we can find more hyenas by—WOAH!" Henriatta collided violently with Vladek, sending him into a small lake under the formation, and Henriatta fell in with him.

The white hyenas, Oshaka, Solanga, Cordelia and Igor all laughed, as he made a splash in the water.

Vladek swam out, carrying the small cheetah cub in his mouth, snarling angrily. Henriatta shivered.

"P-p-please don't eat me." she managed to squeak out.

"No, I am not going to eat you. You look ugly enough; you'd probably taste bad. I am going to punish my 'stepbrother'!" Vladek spat out the word 'stepbrother' and Henriatta instantly looked worried for her older friend.

She wiggled around in Vladek's mouth, but the more she wiggled, the more Vladek threatened to crush her with his jaws, so Henriatta stayed still.

Xandor and Harratina were still nuzzling when Vladek marched over to Xandor and kicked him in the back. "OW!" He shouted startled.

He turned around to see his 'stepbrother' holding Henriatta in his mouth. "Oh, it's you 'stepbrother'. What are you doing with Henriatta, put her down!" Xandor ordered.

"Hm, you don't take good care of your little cub friend, do you? You had been here nuzzling the whole time, when I could of snapped up this little morsel for a snack!" Vladek smirked evilly.

"No, please don't eat her!" Harratina begged Xandor.

"If you want your ugly little morsel back, you're going to have to fight for your prize." Vladek said smugly to Xandor.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" Xandor shouted bravely.

He was game to show his strength to his brother. "Ok, then, first I will spit out the ugly little mite." He spat out Henriatta roughly, and she tumbled onto the ground.

Harratina came to her side, and watched on worriedly, as the adolescent and the pup faced off.

Xandor ran back, and then ran up and met Vladek's pounce.

He jumped up onto Vladek's back, and wrapped a stick around his nose, like a muzzle.

He smirked and yelled "Yee haw, ugly grandmaw!". As Vladek ran around madly, trying to escape from the muzzle he slapped his back, making the white skin turn red.

Then, Vladek was swung around a tree. Xandor grabbed a branch, and scratched Vladek's skin off.

Vladek howled, and tried to buck Xandor off but failed. Xandor held fast, digging his claws into Vladek's flesh.

Vladek yelped at this contact. Xandor smiled, he was in control.

With one hand holding the nuzzle, he used his right hand, to break veins under the skin.

Vladek howled again, at the breaking sensations, and sunk into the ground, then Xandor jumped off of his head.

Vladek was sprawled on his back, his legs twitching in the air. Xandor smirked smugly, meeting his upside down eyes.

"Never mess with me." Xandor said to his brother in a sinister tone, and then marched off to Harratina and Henriatta.

Henriatta hugged him. "You were really brave." She smiled, and Xandor ruffled her hair.

"Wow that was amazing!" Harratina short nuzzled him, and then gave him a quick lick on the cheek. He blushed, but then forgot his blush as he smiled snugly at his taken down brother.**


	9. Sasha

Chapter 9- Sasha

One month later, when Xandor was three and a half months old, himself, Vladek, Igor, Harratina, Henriatta and the adults took an excursion.

Vladek, the now 17 month old, and Igor who were 6 turning 7 were less than happy because they were on a trip with the people they were the most annoyed by, their family and family friends.

Vladek was still embarrassed and threatened by the strong pup, which was about one month stronger than the average pup, as Lina discovered herself.

They were all taking an excursion together to Stonypaw Mountain. As they reached the peak, they smelled smoke and saw a fire on a jungle on the other side of the mountain.

Everyone except Vladek and Igor ran to help. They puffed along down the mountain, past a lake and into a meadow.

Then they sprinted across the meadow and the jungle was up in flames. Xandor heard a screaming voice of a cub, not too older than Henriatta. "Help! Help me!" It screamed.

Xandor bravely dived into the fire. Xandor stalked low underneath some branches, coughing at the smoke. "Are you out there?" Xandor called out. "I'm in the tree you're under!" the voice screamed again.

Xandor looked up at the flames engulfing the tree and decided to risk burning himself.

He jumped into the flame with his eyes closed and yelped at the contact, but then leapt a few metres and caught the tree with his claws.

He slid down a few inches, leaning closer to the fire and losing strength, but he willed himself to keep patiently climbing up the tall tree.

He heard the voice screaming and heard it was a young female animal of probably one month and a half.

He scaled up a few more metres and reached the top, where a young tiger female was shaking, holding on as she watched the fire engulf the tree and her impending doom.

"Hey!" He caught her attention.

"Oh my goodness, you've come to save me! Are you crazy? You could get yourself killed out here. My parents and my whole family are already gone." She looked down in mourning.

"There's no time for mouring now, young tiger. I need to get you down from here." Xandor grabbed the young female tiger and placed her on his back.

Then they jumped from tree to tree, until they were standing over where the adults, Henriatta and Harratina were all looking worried. Xandor jumped off the tree and landed on his front.

Everyone sharply focused on the hyena pup who was carrying the tiger cub on his back and rushed to his rescue, but he struggled to stand up and fainted.

"Hey, wake up." The tiger's voice said, as she shook his shoulder.

Xandor's eyes slowly opened, and as he looked around, he found himself on Stonypaw again.

The fires were dying down, but the damage was clear. He looked up to see the tiger smiling at him. "My name is Sasha. You saved my life! I don't know how I'd ever repay you." Sasha gave him a small hug, then stepped back, still smiling.

"I'm Xandor. I was just doing what was right. I'm sorry about your family though, where are you going to live?" asked Xandor.

"I've talked to your Mom and Henriatta and Harratina's Mom and Dad. I'm going to live with you guys." Sasha explained. Xandor then smiled too, glad that the tiger had a home.**


	10. Mother

Chapter 10- Mother

Xandor was taking a quiet walk by himself, before everyone else woke up. He had woken up before dawn and couldn't get back to sleep.

He had a bad, disturbed sleep, waking up on the hour every hour. In truth, he was now four turning five and as he grew, he couldn't help but think that he didn't look anything like his mother, Lina.

She was pale white, like the moon and he was as dark as the evening sky. Vladek had called him a bastard child.

Did that mean his mother, or his father? He worried over it painfully and could never come to a conclusion if she really was his mother or not.

He so wanted her to be his mother. He had felt safe with her, and loved her like he loved no one else out of his family.

But he couldn't help thinking that it couldn't be. He'd have to look at least a little like his mother right? If she wasn't his Mom, who was? Why did Lina take him in, in the first place?

As he was thinking about this, he stumbled upon the secluded jungle, stepping on Solanga's tail. She yelped in surprise and then laughed evilly as she realised who it was.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Vladek's 'stepbrother'? Everyone, we may now have ourselves a little snack, of a DARK HYENA!" she announced to the pack.

She leapt forward hungrily at Vladek, and he ducked, while sticking out his paw, tripping her over.

She fell on the jungle floor with an "Unf!" and the white hyenas laughed.

"Good one kid. But we are still very hungry…" Oshaka snickered evilly at the pup and picked him up in his mouth before he could react.

"Wait, wait, DON'T EAT ME! I'm sorry for stepping on your tail or whatever! Now, I've gotta get home so I can help Mom—" Solanga chuckled evilly as she heard him call Lina his mother.

"Morsel, who are you calling your mother? Lina is only the mother of my future mate, and his little brother Igor. Asiyejali is your mother." Solanga said with acid.

"What? Who's Asiyejali?" Xandor asked, confused.

"Asiyejali, my little morsel, was a whore back in her days. She fooled around with the same brute tigon, which abused the pure white Lina, very willingly I might add. Then she got pregnant with you afterwards. She never wanted you, even when you were in her belly. As soon as you dropped from her, she was so depressed just by seeing your face, that she killed herself." Solanga smiled twisted.

"No. No that's not true! It can't be true!" Xandor thrashed around in Oshaka's mouth.

"No, very true my lad. From as close as the dead horse's mouth as well. Lina told us." Xandor looked hurt, but he was still suspicious, why would she tell her son's friends before him?

"Ok, you delusional. Just riddle me this, why would Lina ask to choose Vladek's friends she doesn't even know before me?" Xandor kicked the roof of Oshaka's mouth, then climbed out, kicked him in the stomach, then Solanga, rather roughly, making them hold their stomachs with pain, in return making the whole pack thunder with laughter as he made a smug escape.

As he got back, it was dawning, and Lina was back from her morning hunt. Xandor rushed up to her, he could no longer take the suspense.

He had to know. "Lina, are you my real mother?" Xandor asked her.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, I feared this day would come. First we'll wake up everyone for the kill, and then I need to show you something. I will explain to you what is and what isn't." She told him.

After breakfast that morning, Lina and Xandor set out on a stroll. Lina led Xandor to Asiyejali's grave, just right under where she hung herself with vines.

"Ok, my dear now it is time for the truth. See the headstone that is what used to be your mother. You have a father that I don't like talking about. You see, he did horrible things to me, and made me pregnant not by choice. This is how Vladek and Igor came to be. I would be less vague about what he did, but I don't think you are old enough to understand. 2 weeks after Igor was born, the tigon came back. He abused your mother, and she became pregnant not by choice, with you. She did not have the same drive as me to take care of people. She was only barely an adolescent when she was pregnant. She was only just 13 months old. She had no family, and I took her in and she lived with my family when she was pregnant. She was scared of motherhood, and did not want to become more vulnerable than she already was. When she was 16 months, and gave birth, you looked too much like your father. It was too much for her. She ran into the jungle, and I tried to stop her, but she came to this very spot and hung herself with the vines. Your mother's name was Asiyejali, as it says on her grave." She gave an honest account.

"But, Asiyejali means…uncaring right?" Xandor said.

"Yes. It does, so I think she must have had a bad mother or father, and she might have been afraid of being a parent and it was just too overwhelming for her. You know, I used to live in a peaceful pack of white hyenas when I was a pup and adolescent. I had the best parents, friends, and I was bethroed to be a future queen of a pack, like those lions in the Pride Lands. But I threw that all away. Because I wanted to adventure around when I had all the things I wanted right at home. The same thing happened with your mother, but she came from a normal pack. So what I'm trying to tell you is, if you have a great home life, you shouldn't run away selfishly. If you have reason to run, run. But never escape without a purpose." Lina taught her foster son.

"I have you Mom. That's reason enough. I don't care if you're not my real mother, your Mom to me." Xandor and Lina shared a family nuzzle and then walked on back to their own family and family friend campsite where Sasha, Henriatta, Harratina, Vladek, Igor, Utia, Tymo, Edefith and Shakar where waiting for them with left over kill, much to the annoyance of the brothers Vladek and Igor who could of snuck some back to their minions.

Sasha and Henriatta were playing together.

The two were exactly the same age and where basically as close as sisters now. They played tag around the campsite and told each other secrets.

Vladek and Igor were as usual glaring at their brother and plotting in whispers.

Utia and Tymo and Edefith and Shakar were having a group conversation and inviting Lina to join.

Harratina came up to Xandor and short nuzzled him.

Yes, this was his great home life. He wouldn't leave this place, except maybe for Vladek and Igor but he knew how to take care of them. Little did he know that it might all change, someday very soon…**


	11. Misery Loves Company

Chapter 11- Misery Loves Company

Xandor was six months and strong and tall now. He was nuzzling behind a tree with his now girlfriend Harratina.

He didn't know it now, but he really only liked her.

He wasn't in love as he might be in the future. Harratina's little giggles soon found their way to Sasha and Henriatta, who frowned and ran all the to the 'smoochy tree' as they called it.

"Aw man! You guys ruin hide and seek big time! Why do we always let you play with us?" Sasha complained. "Yeah, not cool."

Henriatta's personality had developed more and she was now a shy cub, while Sasha was the outgoing one. Xandor and Harratina just smiled.

"It's because we're so charming." Xandor poked his tongue out at the girls

. Sasha frowned, rolled her eyes and pounced. Henriatta followed after her, play attacking Xandor.

"Ok guys, enough!" The two 4 month olds were quite heavy on Xandor's chest, as he was only 6. They got off giggling cheekily.

Vladek and Igor meanwhile were watching the children sneakily in the tall grass. "Well, well, well. Looks the like the kids are up to some trouble again." Igor quipped making Vladek chuckle.

"Yes, they are little children. But we're going to make Xandor grow up so fast he won't know what hit him! If only he knew Lina couldn't swim…" They evilly laughed as quietly as they could.

Vladek and Igor stood up straight, making their presence known to the young group of cubs. "Oh, 'stepbrother'! Mother wanted to spend some time with you today down by the little clear creek. She also loves to swim. Remember that, Xandor." Vladek rolled his eyes as if he was annoyed just talking to his brother.

The bit about spending some time with Xandor was true, but the part about the creek was not.

"Ok. Bye guys, Harratina you're in charge now." Xandor said to his girlfriend. He went to see his foster mother, Lina, busy talking to the adults of the campsite as usual.

"Hi Mom. You wanted to spend time with me?" asked Xandor.

"Oh yes, what would you like to do?" asked Lina.

"Um, can we go down to the clear water creek?" Xandor suggested.

"That sounds wonderful." said Lina.

Xandor and Lina walked side to side as they went down to the creek.

"Do you know what singing is son?" Lina wondered.

"No Mom. What is singing?" Xandor replied.

"Ah, animals in these lands do not do it too often. They are in hard times. They have nothing to sing for. But when I was in the royal pack, it made me feel good. One day, my son, I won't be around. When I am not, I want you to sing. Sing to remember me." Xandor nodded.

"Ok, now to sing…" Lina explained the inner workings of singing, and soon enough Xandor could sing a small song with her. They sang some when they were down at the creek:

"What about sunrise?  
>What about rain?<br>What about all the things,  
>That you said we were to gain? .<br>What about killing fields,  
>Is there a time?<br>What about all the things,  
>That you said was yours and mine...<br>Did you ever stop to notice,  
>All the blood we've shed before?<br>Did you ever stop to notice,  
>The crying Earth the weeping shores?<p>

Aaaaaahhhhhh…"

Xandor his mother bellowed out their 'aahs' before stopping.

"That's a great song Mom." Xandor complimented.

"Thankyou. I learnt it from my grandfather, and your namesake, Xandor. He was old when he taught me this. He probably wouldn't be alive today. He was frail and senile when I left the hyena campsite around Asiyejali's age. That turned out to be a mistake." Lina sighed at the past.

"Mom, don't worry, let's play tag!" Xandor suggested. "Ok. I'm going to get you!" Lina and Xandor tagged each other, laughing and playing.

They started tackling each other, and then Xandor remembered what his brother said about Lina loving a swim.

He playfully pushed her into the water.

But he was taken aback, when Lina started to scream and shriek.

"Son, I can't swim! Get some help quick!" She screamed in fear.

"UTIA! TYMO! SHAKAR! EDEFITH! UTIA! TYMO! SHAKAR EDEFITH! UTIAAAAA! TYMOOOOO! SHAKAAAAAR! EDEFITHHHHH!" He wailed, in defeat.

Then he turned around and saw his foster mother fighting against the water and in dying gasps. "I'm sorry mother. I have failed you." He said quietly in a half-whisper, tears collecting in his eyes.

He could do nothing but watch his mother die. "You have n-n-not failed…me…" Lina gasped as she died.

Xandor broke down and wailed, having a tantrum like a very young lost pup. He wept because he knew his only relatives alive were the ones he despised- the biological brothers and the tigon.

He didn't want to be associated with any of them.

It was too unfair! How could he go on without his beautiful, caring, and supportive mother? Lina. He killed Lina.

He pushed her in. She drowned. More tears came to his eyes as he realized all along he had become what he set out to not be. He was a murderer. He was evil. He wept and wept all through the day, just sat and wept.

Eventually, a search party of Harratina, Henriatta, and Sasha was sent to find Xandor and Lina at sunset.

They only found Xandor, crying. "Xandor, what happened? Where's Lina?" asked Harratina as sensitively as she could.

"She's d-d-dead." He spat out, and then cried even more.

"Oh my gosh!" Harratina gasped, and then cried in grief.

So did Henriatta and Sasha. She was a kind white hyena who let them stay. She was like an aunt to them.

"How did this happen?" Henriatta asked between tears.

"She drowned, because I pushed her in when she couldn't swim. I didn't know she couldn't swim. But I'm still a murderer. An evil, evil murderer!" Xandor howled in emotional pain.

"You're not a murderer! If anything, your brothers set you up, I heard them talking! You're innocent, they killed their mother indirectly!" Harratina exclaimed.

Henriatta and Sasha nodded. They huddled together with Xandor, in grief and support. The next days would be long days of mourning.**


	12. Growing In Pain

Chapter 12- Growing In Pain

That night, Xandor didn't sleep at all. The pup, just curled up in a fetal position and cried his eyes out, the whole night, his tears didn't stop.

He felt like someone had ripped his heart out of his chest. Lina was his family. Now he had no family. He felt old, tired and world-weary already.

He felt he had grown a good year. Only adolescents usually lost their parents, even in the harsh world of Xandor's jungle home. It was unheard of for cubs and pups to be orphaned.

He sang Lina's song to her as he watched the sun go up after a sleepless night, then lay against the corner of the den, facing the wall. He didn't want to talk, he didn't want to exist. The pain was too great.

Meanwhile, Vladek and Igor had wonderful sleeps.

They had successfully put their plan into action. Without their nagging mother around to save her foster son, they could pretty much do what they liked to their brother. Now they just needed to be rid of one more link. And that link was Harratina.

They had woken up with the sun, so they grabbed Harratina, taped her mouth, and tied her sticks to Igor's back. They snuck around behind the cave where Xandor lay still, and trekked North to a ledge above a waterfall in a secluded field not short from the Stonypaw Mountains.

When they were standing in front of the noisy waterfall, Harratina still wasn't awake. So Vladek yelled at her. "WAKE UP, BITCH!" He yelled in her face to wake her up. "Mmmm…MHHMM!" She struggled against the tape and the sticks, but it was no use.

"Settle down girl. You know, I don't' think devils take to kindly to bitches such as yourself." Vladek laughed evilly. "Mmmm…mmmm…mmmm!" She murmured, meaning to say 'let me go'. "What's that? I didn't hear you. Oh, never mind." Vladek said sarcastically, as Igor untied the sticks around his legs. He gave the cheetah cub to Vladek.

"See you in hell; I think you'll find this waterfall is a ride to die for!" Vladek said to her with acid as he threw her off the edge of the waterfall.

Harratina couldn't even scream as she fell helplessly off the waterfall. Vladek and Igor were satisfied. There was no way she could survive that.

But they were wrong. Because although she was passed out, she was still alive, the wooden sticks under her acting as a raft, as she drifted off to the Western Pride, where she would spend her days, until one day in the far future, she would see Xandor once more, with a new girlfriend.

Vladek and Igor came back to see Xandor. "Oh, murderer…" Vladek called to him icily, bringing more bitter tears to Xandor's eyes. "Leave me alone." He told the 'stepbrothers' with as much ice.

"Well, we just wanted to let you know that we've joined your ranks. Harratina is dead." Vladek said non-chalantly. "WHAT? NO!" Xandor snapped up in shock and more tears came to his eyes.

"Yes my 'stepbrother'. And I killed her. Let's see, who else could I kill…" Vladek snarled darkly, backing Xandor slowly into the wall against the other cave although he still stood tall and brave, not backing down.

"You won't kill me…" Xandor snarled back. "Who's to say I won't?" Vladek egged his anger on.

Xandor in pure rage, slapped Vladek across the face as hard as he could and then as Vladek was still recovering from the blow, he quickly slashed Vladek's eyes blinding him.

Igor tried to hit him, but Xandor grabbed hold of the arm in mid-air and slashed his eyes too.

Xandor quickly shook everyone awake, yelling "We've got to get out of here! Vladek will kill us! He already murdered Harratina! He's distracted, come on!" Utia, Tymo, Shakar, Edefith, Henriatta and Sasha quickly ran with Xandor out of the jungle, and into the Out Lands.

They finally settled, and then everyone was shaking with tears as they remembered what Xandor said. Harratina was dead.

"My cub! How dare he take my sweet daughter away from me?" Utia and Tymo cried the hardest. "My baby!" Tymo cried and they sobbed into each other's shoulders. Xandor felt really sad, not only for himself, but for Harratina's parents.

No parents should survive their child, let alone mourn for them. It should be the other way around. Utia only had Harratina five months ago, and she was taken away from her and her mate like that. Henriatta and Sasha were sobbing for their elder cousin. Shakar and Edefith were tearing up for their niece.

But Xandor felt the worst inside. If only he hadn't been such a mopey pup, he could have seen Vladek and Igor and been able to stop them before they murdered his girlfriend.

He was a murderer. A murderer of the worst kind, because he single handedly killed the woman and the girl closest to him. He would never rid of the constant reminder that their blood was on his hands.

He was sulking with his head to the ground, creating a pool of tears in the Earth, when an animal's paw poked his shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey, what's the commotion here? It's like someone died or something!" Xandor immediately recognized that voice. "Are you Motif?" He asked.

"The one and only. Dry your tears. What happened to all of you?" Motif asked them considerately. "My girlfriend Harratina, and my foster mother Lina, were murdered." Xandor said softly and tearfully.

"They killed my friend, and my child!" Utia added mournfully. "Who are they?" Motif asked.

"Two white hyenas, Vladek and Igor, my 'stepbrothers' killed Harratina. But I murdered Lina." A huge lump came to Xandor's throat when he spoke Lina's name.

"No, he didn't murder Lina. I'll explain. Vladek told Xandor to take Lina out for a swim, when he knew very well she couldn't. Xandor pushed her in playfully, and then she died. But my friend is innocent! Vladek murdered her indirectly." Sasha stepped forward.

"Wait. I know Vladek and Igor very well. They killed my sister, brother, cousins and my father! Wait, you're little hero! You're Xandor, aren't you?" Motif's eyes filled with realization.

"Yeah, it's me!" Xandor exclaimed. "Cool! Well, since you've probably ran away from home, would you like to live in mine? I live at the hyena campsite. But we have visitors and residents who are tigers and cheetahs too." Motif suggested.

Xandor looked to everyone, and they nodded in agreement at the idea.

"Ok, I think everyone wants to go." Xandor told him. "Cool. Let's go then." Motif had dug a tunnel that went under the Pride Lands and scaled all the way up to the elevation of the Hyena Campsite.

The clan of family and friends scattered out to explore their home, while Xandor went with Motif. They peaked around the edge of Pride Rock, and saw two young adult lions, a light golden lioness and a brown furred lion with a black mane, with a golden colour young girl cub with a brown tuft on her head. "Who are these lions?" asked Xandor.

"The lion is Kovu, he is King of the Pride Lands, and the lioness is Kiara, the Queen Of The Pride Lands, and Simba's daughter. Now Kiara rules these parts.

That cub that they talking to, is their cub, Mayja, the Future Queen of these parts. She's about two months old." Motif explained.

"What's that brown girl cub with the black eye rims and the bangs doing, spying on them?" He spotted a young Zahara, although he didn't know her yet.

"I don't know. I think she's the second daughter of Kiara and Kovu. Maybe she's jealous." Motif assumed. "I like her style. She's a smart little cub."

Mayja, the little golden cub spat over the edge of Pride Rock for some reason, then left with her parents. Motif and Xandor smiled as the brown cub stealthily stalked after her secretive family.

"Go cub, go!" Xandor quietly cheered her on from a distance.

"Uh oh. I hope Kamal didn't go to the Out Lands to hunt, because that's where the royal family seems to be going." Motif worried. "I'm sure she won't be in trouble." Xandor reassured, although he wasn't sure what was going to happen next.**


	13. An Attractive Namesake

Chapter 13- An Attractive Namesake

Over the next week, Xandor, Sasha and Henriatta met some new friends across where they were staying.

They were all different species that were frowned upon or excluded by Simba and Kiara's reigns respectively.

Jolomp, a tigon with a creamy coat and tiger spots, with bangs over her lime green eyes, Kima, a normal coat cheetah with the usual black eyes, Geogeo a male tigon with a black coat and white spots, and Gellagher and Rosabella, two dark hyenas who were best friends with the usual eyes too.

They all said something about one particular lioness cub.

They were all telling the story as Kamal recounted it, of how this brown cub with violet purple eyes, black eye rims and bangs, Zahara, as they called her, had stood up for a hyena against her mother, even though she seemed to be the only lion they knew of that would actually do something like this, besides Jabvah.

Tigers, cheetahs, tigons, and hyenas all knew that it was no secret lions hated them, from petty competition and the past, but this little beacon of hope could all bring them together.

Xandor thought the story might be a little farfetched but he still wanted to meet this girl, this Zahara. See if she's as good as everyone says she is. She already had an attractive namesake. And he had the perfect link, Jabvah.

He went to Jabvah as he made his usual bi-weekly round trip from Pride Rock to The Hyena Campsite, and everyone cheered as usual for him.

Everybody, from the smallest cheetah to the most muscular lion-like hyena loved Jabvah. He was kind to everyone and treated them as an extension of his own family. He brang sap sweets for the children, flowers for the women, and weapons fashioned out of sticks for the men.

Jabvah saw him approaching and handed him a sap sweet, earning a "Thank you," from Xandor and as he chewed on his sweet, he asked Jabvah "Hey Jabvah, have you heard about a certain young lioness cub, her name's Zahara?".

Then Jabvah heartily responded "Yeah, I have heard about her! She's smarter than an average cub, very brainy. She's in my pride. She's wonderful, but I worry about her. She stands up for hyenas and is in the shadow of her sister. Apart from the cubs, she doesn't have many followers. People stay away from her because of what she did."

"Ok. Maybe you should show her around? It's not often we hear of things like these, and if you convince her that we are good, she might be able to convince her influential mother the same." Xandor carefully crafted his sentence.

"You know, that is a good idea! But she can't go out yet, I'm going to bring her here at four months old." Jabvah agreed. Xandor smiled as he went off to greet his mate Kamal. He realized it wasn't just an attractive namesake…he was also just attracted to the cub, somehow, from afar.**


	14. When We First Met

Chapter 14- When We First Met

For the next four months, Xandor led a pretty routine existence. He would play with his new friends, and chat with Henriatta and Sasha, his dear family friends whom he grew up with.

They were both like two pseudo sisters to him. Since Harratina's death, Xandor alone was left to protect them. Utia, Tymo, Shakar and Edefith all shared the job of raising him towards adolescence.

Because of his advanced strength, the medicine hyena said he could expect to have advanced hormones too. This meant he would feel like a teenager earlier.

He was also developing a good taste in girls, but mostly just flirtations between his female friends and himself. He didn't really feel connected to any of them.

One day, when he was ten months, feeling like a teenager, and Henriatta and Sasha were eight, his pseudo sisters persuaded him to watch from afar on top of the stair case of bones to see what female appealed to him.

Xandor, although it seemed verging on stalker territory, decided it could be fun.

"Ok, so there's Rosabella." Sasha started off.

"Nah, she's too young. And the way she's pouncing on Gellagher, I'd say that they're meant to be." Xandor said. "I thought you wanted someone younger!" Sasha complained. "Yeah!" Henriatta agreed angrily.

"I don't mean she's just an adolescent and I'll be almost a young adult kind of way. Just like 3 or 4 months difference I guess." Xandor was picky.

"Ok, Mr Picky. Then what about Jolomp? Or Kima?" Sasha pressed on. Xandor considered it, watching for about ten minutes before saying, "No. I just flirt with them. I can't even be safe to say if I like them!" Xandor told her. Sasha and Henriatta sighed annoyed.

They watched for about ten minutes more, when two lion cubs, one tan and one red came on to the scene. "What about that one?" Henriatta pointed at the tan cub. "Henriatta, that's a lion!" Sasha exclaimed and then they burst out into laughter. "Oh my gosh!" Henriatta giggled. "I know right!" Sasha and Henriatta high fived.

Then a brown lioness cub came slinking gracefully onto the scene. Xandor's breathe caught in his throat. He looked closely at her features. She had the same bangs, black eye rims, and violet purple eyes. "Woah." We whispered to himself. "What?" Sasha asked in confusion. Xandor was suddenly filled with confidence.

"Ah, it's just those Liyenas, but mmmmhm, what do we have here? A brown lioness I see. So exotic, what eye candy." He had never seen young lionesses close up before. Now he was hooked, because the dangers of flirting with one just made it even more exciting.

"Don't you know lions? They've banned us from the Pride Lands, and that Queen could kill us if we stepped on her land. According to the rumours, they're the royal family. They could be as bad as Queen Kiara and King Kovu!" Sasha warned.

"Yeah, don't do it!" Henriatta said her rare four words. "But there's also the chance she'll be as prissy as a pussycat. Now don't get in my way, girls." Xandor strolled down the stair bones confidently.

"I guess we should run after him to see if he's ok." Sasha said with a sigh. Sasha and Henriatta ran after him.

Zahara was in the middle of running for tag, when a hyena a little older than her stopped her in her in tracks. "Hello, pretty young lioness." He said with a flirty smile, raising his eyebrows on hello. She seemingly was annoyed, but he could change that.

She broke left, but he carefully followed her every footstep, and then broke right, but Xandor and said "You do like to run, don't you, violet eyes?" He said in a suave voice. It was annoying her sure, but it was getting her attention.

She broke left and right again, and trick right and left, but Xandor followed her with ease.

It occurred to him that she was a beautiful, smart lioness for attempting to trick him, but he shook the thought out of his head, because it was distracting him.

Then the little lioness pounced on her, with a lot of strength, he had to admit. He liked where he was a lot, pinned under the lionesse's soft brown fur, that was well kept. Under her, feeling her breathe and body.

He just smirked up at her, teasing her. "Who are you, and why are you ruining my game of tag?" snarled the lioness, whose name was presumably Zahara.

"Ooh, someone's a little feisty. I'm Xandor, and I was ruining your game of tag, to tell you how beautiful you are. Seriously, have you looked in a mirror once in a while?" Xandor said, turning on the charm as much as he could.

It worked, because she was blushing like crazy, but she was obviously trying to ignore that fact, and she forced the colour to drain out of her face. "I don't even know you! Why do you think I like you?" Zahara glared at him. Playing hard to get hey? He thought, _Then I'll just say this_…"Well, for one, the position you've put me in speaks for itself…" Xandor smirked.

Zahara blushed furiously and got off of him.

He had gotten the better of her this time.

Then his pseudo sisters, Sasha and Henriatta ruined his fun predictably by coming to his rescue when he didn't even need it. As they smoothed over the formalities with the royal little lioness, he looked at her, and somehow knew this was more than a flirtation, this was fate.**


	15. Reunion

Chapter 15- Reunion

Xandor's hunch about little lioness was right.

She told Xandor she was in Upendi. He knew that meant something good. Then when she was barely 12 or 13, he fell in love with her.

Now in between visits, at 15, Henriatta and Sasha frantically called him over. He went to see who it was, and he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Harratina! You're alive!" He exclaimed, and then they shared a familial hug before sitting with the newly found cheetah.

"How did you find her?" Xandor asked, curious. "Well, we went down to the Out Lands creek from the tunnel. The creek now is joined with the waterfall stream, and is becoming more and fresher. Anyway, we found her washed up on the side of the river. She told me she'd been playing with some cubs from the Western Pride, where she's lived for months. They pushed her in, and she couldn't swim, but luckily, a crocodile swam under her all the way to the creek while she was passed out. We found her when we went for a drink." Sasha explained.

Harratina went to lick Xandor's cheek when he gently moved away. "What's wrong Xandor?" Harratina asked confused. "I'm spoken for." He said gently.

"What?" asked Harratina angrily. "It's not I didn't care about you! I mourned for four months for you and Mom, and then I met a little lioness. Look, we were only kids when we were together. Now I'm an adolescent, and I'm having a more grown up relationship! I love my little lioness, Zahara. I don't want to lose her. I'm sorry; I didn't know you were alive." Xandor explained.

"You mourned for four months? I guess I should be more grateful I'm seeing you again. I'm sorry; it was a bit stupid of me to think you still liked me. That was almost a year ago!" Harratina said.

"It's ok." Xandor told her. "Friends?" Harratina offered. "Friends." Xandor accepted and they gave each other a friendly hug over it. All was peaceful, but much had changed.

The End.**


End file.
